Changing of the Guards - Horses Guard Parade

An iconic and extremely popular British tourist destination is to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

Trust me on that, I have been there along with every other tourist in London.

But a not-so-well-known location to watch the changing of the guards is at Horse Guards Parade. 

Beating the Winter Doldrums in London

Winter in London isn't very cold, from a Canadian perspective. 

Temperatures rarely go below freezing in the city. 

But, with a latitude of 51 degrees north, it means that in the winter the days are very short and the nights are very long. 

In the morning, it can be close to 8:00am before twilight peaks out. 

Look What I Found on a Country Walk!

I have a friend that organizes a group of us to go on country walks.

It is awesome, I don't have to organize anything and I just show up at the train station to follow the group!

Downside: I never really know where I am.

A Hidden Gem - The Foundling Museum

London is full of Hidden Gems. In fact, there are so many it becomes overwhelming trying to prioritize which ones to see.   

 

The Foundling Museum is one of those gems.

Kew Gardens and Palace

Kew Gardens and Palace are in Richmond, SW London.

Kew Palace is the smallest of the Royal Palaces. It was built in 1631 for Samuel Fortney, a successful Flemish merchant. 

In 1781 King George III purchased it to use as a nursery for his children. 

As far as palaces go, it is very simple.

The significance lies in the gardens. It is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The gardens have collections of thousands of plants from around the world. 

It is also used as a research centre. 

London Lights Up

Christmas in London is magical. 

 

The city comes alive with beautifully lit streets and creates a festive spirit.

My Life Revolves Around the Tube

My life revolves around the tube.

Without it, "my wings would be clipped". With it, I can get to any place in the city.

It is reliable, frequent, fast, clean, safe and quiet. I am never lost as long as I can find a tube station.

To say that "I love the tube" would be an understatement.

Inside St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is one of the iconic buildings on London's skyline. 

The English Baroque cathedral is built on the highest point in the city and the prominent dome can be seen for miles. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962. 

Let's go back in history for a moment....

Pub Culture

Sometimes it seems that there are pubs on every corner.

Some street corners, and the entire street, are littered with pubs.

Yet, at most pubs there are people spilling into the streets and standing outside clustered on the sidewalks drinking their pints of brew (or various other libations.)






I'm thinking, maybe they need more pubs!

Umbrella Power

Well, I have to admit, London can have some cloudy, grey, dreary, wet and rainy days.

Okay, London can get a LOT of cloudy, grey, dreary, wet and rainy days.

Local umbrellas get an exceptional work out.

When we first arrived in London over a year ago we stumbled into this shop. At the time, I thought it was so cute and quaint. Rediscovering it again, I now think its brilliant!

My umbrella is starting to be a little, well, weathered and worn. It has seen better days, so to speak.

It has been sporting a slight dent for a while now.

Ironically, when I got home and re-opened it to dry out, it totally gave up the ghost.

A new umbrella is definitely now in order.

A Walk Down Memory Lane in Cambridge

Little Known Facts About Me: I went to school in Cambridge, England, and I used to have an English accent. 

Full Disclosure: I lived in Cambridge for a year when I was 7 years old. The school I went to was not the prestigious world renowned University of Cambridge. It was Girton Glebe Primary School. 

When my sister Marie came to visit we went to Cambridge for a walk down Memory Lane.

We were super excited to find our old home.  

We also found our old school.

John wasn't quite as excited as we were. 

He was more fascinated by the cattle in the middle of an urban park.

Tube Warrior

When I first arrived in London, just over a year ago, I was not comfortable riding the tube. It did not seem natural to me to descend deep into the bowels of the city and then hurtle around in a dark tunnel to pop up into an unknown world.

Cinderella's Carriage: Transportation fit for Royalty

The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace house the vehicles, carriages and horses for the Royal Family. 

Milestone Day

Today Queen Elizabeth, 89 years young, becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history. 

She has reigned 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes at about 17:30 BST. Or, put another way, she has reigned over 63 years and 7 months.

Big Ben - Up Close and Personal

London has some iconic symbols that are instantly recognized.

One of them is Westminster Palace's Clock Tower, commonly known as "Big Ben".

Although, actually, "Big Ben" is a bell, not the clock. And, the official name of the bell is really the "Big Bell". To confuse even more, the "Clock Tower", which is where both the iconic clock and bells are located, had a name change several years ago to the "Elizabeth Tower" in honour of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.

ALERT: Tube Strike!

Mayor Boris Johnson wants to extend several tube lines to operate 24 hours on the weekend.

The union does not agree.

Let's review this: Average wages in London are £29K/year. Tube drivers make £49K/year and have 48 holidays/year.

Result: The city ground to a chaotic standstill when the tube drivers went on strike for 24 hours!

Issue is still unresolved, but Round I went to the tube drivers.

Venice

Direct flights from London to Venice take about 2 hours.

If you're a morning person, that makes it easy to get up reeeeealllly early in London and then enjoy a morning coffee in Venice.

Beating Retreat

Beating Retreat has its historical base on the military fields when, at the end of the day, the beating of the drum was used to order the troops to stop fighting and retreat to the safety of camp as darkness fell.

The Queen's Birthday Parade & Trooping the Colour

The Queen's actual birthday is April 21st, but, the official celebration is in June.

This little idiosyncrasy is made with the anticipation that June will have better weather than April.

I will, with great restraint, reserve comment on the weather. Ahem.....

Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

What could be more iconic than the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace?

It happens pretty much everyday at 11:30am and lasts for about 45 minutes.

Little did I know that half the tourist population in London would all be waiting at Buckingham Palace to view this with me.